Thank you!

Thank you! ~ Thank you to everyone who has had a part in growing Studio C! To all the artists, teachers, students, parents, visitors, customers, performers, suppliers,
advisers, student business consultants, interested professors, family, neighbors and especially this wonderful country where it is all possible! Studio C opened its doors to guests for the first time in May of 2007 to host a poetry book launch for Tim Keller. We've gathered together every month since then on the last Saturday for Live Poetry!, our open mike and performance event. We held Summer Art! classes during the summer months on my days off (I was still working full time for Baca Valley Telephone Company then). All this led us to take the step of creating a gift shop & gallery which previewed last year during the holiday season to great support from all our friends and neighbors here in Des Moines, New Mexico. Thanks to ongoing support for this ArtSpace in the middle of nowhere, I quit my job at the phone company and opened Studio C on March 14th three days a week, regular hours: Fridays, Saturdays 10:00 - 6:00, and Sundays 12:00 - 4:00. We expanded our Summer Art! class offerings and started a new arts and environment conservation summer class series: Places of Wonder. We've been "regular" for just 9 & 1/2 months now and it is a wonderful gift to know that we are headed towards a brilliant future for Studio C!

Last Saturday's Show of Gratitude was marvelous! Sharon Niederman's poetry painted vivid portraits of people she has known. Laughter and recognition spread through our audience as people recognized friends, family and even themselves in the poems. Roni Duran came out with her whole family to read her personalized version of the famous monologue from Shakespeare's Hamlet To Be or Not to Be. Her version is an amazing testament to difficult choices in our youths' lives these days. All of this was preceded by my sister Karyna Cragin's wonderful playing on the African balaphone which inspired a spontaneous standing ovation. Thank you everyone for coming out to Des Moines, bringing delicious food and sharing a meal together here in the gallery. We are all blessed to enjoy creativity, talent and community.

So, the holiday season has begun. What better time to receive and put out new wonderful arts for you to see in the gallery. The cute horse in the photo above made by Amy Caldwell "drinking" from the hand-blown glass bowl (made by her partner Keith Stuart) was here only a short time before going home today with a happy holiday shopper!

What is your gift giving pleasure? What are your holiday traditions? I invite you to share in the comments here. Let's strike up a conversation about this special season. All around the world people are engaged in honoring the great traditions of community and devotion. I love getting to know about the myriad cultural celebrations that are celebrated around the world!

We are thrilled to announce that Tim sold five of his framed archival prints from the gallery during his show. He has just launched his new website: www.timkellerphotography.com. You'll be able to buy prints directly from him. Be sure to visit it as you make up your holiday gift lists.

I'm listening to Little Sharon's Country Cafe right now... another great afternoon of classic country music, history and storytelling on the best local radio station in our area: KRTN Enchanted Air @ 93.9 FM. Check out their morning show: This, That & the Other Monday - Saturday 8:am - 9:00 or longer depending on the visitors who stop in to share their news with the community. It is talk radio at it's best!

I am putting out a call for Holiday art to artists and artisans!

Small Works, Local Flavors ~ A Holiday Show of small works and holiday gifts.
Call or email for details.

Finally, a couple of announcements:

Live Poetry! is changing its name to Live @ Studio C!
It will also be going "off-line" for the next three months. December – February will be “dark” on the last Saturday of the month.
Dark is theatre-speak for: Let’s take a break.

It's time to honor the cycles of creativity. Give your muses permission to dance, play, nap, read, eat good food, experiment with new media, laugh, sleep, watch sad movies… enjoy the rest of a nice long winter sleep… Do whatever it takes to stay cozy and nurture your creativity. Come back in March full of wonderful “stuff” to share at our open mike. The New Year is packed with great entertainment for you. Mark your 2009 calendars' last Saturdays for Live @ Studio C! ~5:30 pm in the gallery starting March 25th.
I'll give you the line-up next week!

So, that wraps it up for this week... a whole lot of thanks and news.... thanks for your comments and for sending people to visit the blog.

Keeping it FRESH!

Christina

A Show of Thanks!

Thank you! That's a Tim Keller photograph of my rooster bell here at the studio. It crows my thanks and jubilation on a clear winter day.

I am so grateful for this wonderful life I have been blessed with. Studio C has been a dream I've held for a long time and it is coming true bit by bit. In fact it continues to grow thanks to everyone who stops in and finds something that delights and inspires.

Tomorrow is the big day! Join us for the 2nd annual Live Poetry! ~ A Show of Gratitude.

Sharon Niederman will be reading poems and excerpts from her books that will be available for sale. She will be happy to sign books of hers that you already own so bring them with you…. maybe mark a favorite passage and she can read it for us all! Sharon will share the Studio C stage with Roni Duran, her student at New Mexico Highlands University. Roni also studied with my husband Tim Keller at Raton High School. This makes her a star in our eyes and we look forward to hearing her work.

I am so thrilled to present my sister Karyna, a gifted musician, songwriter and vocalist who will bring her beautiful and heartfelt music to the studio.

I’m keeping it short today since I’m putting out some new items and have a lot to do to be ready for our big show tomorrow…. Come by and see what I’m up to!

See you soon~

And remember, being thankful for what you have is the best way to see just how blessed you are!

Christina

The Season of Gratitude

No longer can I deny that winter is upon us! Windy & snowy, today’s chilly air is dancing with bright sunshine… a typical New Mexico crazy weather day in the tiny village of Des Moines here in the northeastern corner of Union County in the enchanting state of New Mexico.

I’m keeping warm drinking delicious organic, fair-trade coffee as I sit here at the computer, which is next to the propane heater in the studio. The new radiant solar heating system is not yet installed, the process stalled by parts-on-order, so I am grateful to have the current heater now. I am looking forward to it becoming a back-up source rather than the main source and eventually not needing it at all. That’s years down the line but as sustainability is a goal for Studio C, bringing solar energy into the gallery is a step toward making the dream come true. In the mean time I am wearing warm sweaters and winter woollies rather than turning up the thermostat.

Mary Ann Louden will be here tomorrow to teach her StarFlower art. We have plenty of room so call me to sign up. She’ll be here 10:00 am – 3:00 pm and so too, I hope, will you.

Coming up next weekend is our second annual Live Poetry! ~ A Show of Gratitude. Sharon Niederman will be reading new poems and fiction and excerpts from her books, which will be available for sale. She will be happy to sign books of hers that you already own so bring them with you…. maybe mark a favorite passage and she can read it for us all! Sharon will share the Studio C stage with Roni Duran, her student at New Mexico Highlands University. Roni also studied with my husband Tim Keller at Raton High School. This makes her a star in our eyes and we look forward to hearing her work.

I am thrilled to present my sister Karyna Cragin, a gifted musician, songwriter and vocalist who will bring her beautiful and heartfelt music to the studio.

There will be door prizes too! You must be present to win so be sure you come out to Des Moines for this event.

Showing through November 23rd, The Upper Right Corner, Tim Keller’s show of photography; come by the gallery to witness his vision of stark, vibrant, compelling images taken from within a 50 mile radius of Studio C.

Coming up in the gallery:

Small Works, Local Flavors ~ A Holiday Show Small works and holiday gifts.

Coming up in the community:

The Des Moines School presents a Holly-Day Bazaar to raise funds for the school library Tuesday, December 2nd in the school gym from 3 pm to 8 pm during and after the Des Moines vs. Clayton Basketball Games. Individuals and groups are invited to participate by buying and/or selling goods and/or activities. Ten percent of proceeds go to the Des Moines School Library.
Studio C will be there with coffee and chocolate. Are you interested in setting up a booth or table? Send me an email and I'll forward it to Betty and Janet.

The Folsom Museum invites you to check out their new website for the new annual fund raising event: The Capulin Volcano marathon: 
www.capulinvolcanorun.com. The dates for the 2009 run will be published in the next couple of months so be sure to bookmark the site and check back frequently.

Studio C is the place to see the work of local, regional and guest artists and artisans. Curious about what we have in the gallery? Give me a call and I’ll be happy to give you directions to the gallery or give you a phone tour.

My mission for this blog? To keep you informed about goings on at the gallery and in our wonderful community. Why? Well, let’s just say I love to share our good news!

See you soon~ Send your friends and family ~ Shower your inner child with Love!

Christina

Creative Change!

It is finally getting cold and the holiday cheer is sprouting up in all kinds of places.
StarFlower ~ Tin craft by Mary Ann Louden~ Come by Studio C tomorrow, Saturday November 8th, for our first StarFlower workshop from 10:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. Participants will learn this special craft from master artisan and local luminary Mary Ann Louden. Mary Ann will give you all the information and tricks you need to make regular tin can lids into art. I predict you'll reuse your lids rather than send them to your local recycle transfer station. (If you have one… and if you don’t then please work to make one happen in your community. Call me if you are in the Des Moines, New Mexico area; we need your support!) The fee for Mary Ann’s class is $15.00. We'll be giving this workshop again on Saturday November 15th. 575-278-3517 to register

Tim Keller's show, The Upper Right Corner, continues through November 24th so be sure to stop in to see his beautiful photographs.

Thanksgiving is soon here! This brings thoughts of our great country and the small band of courageous people looking for freedom from tyranny and their story of how they braved a difficult and uncertain ocean crossing to land at Plymouth Rock. They were blessed to find a community of Native Americans willing to help them learn to survive in their adopted homeland. As we come together to celebrate the community that these forebears forged in their transformational quest for a new and better nation let us reflect on collaboration. I bet we can all agree that sharing a meal with friends and neighbors is an effective way to build community.

Studio C will celebrate the second annual Show of Gratitude on November 22nd. This will also be the night for Live Poetry! with our featured artist, New Mexico author Sharon Niederman, and spotlight artist, musician Karyna Cragin. Of course, starting off the evening will be the open mike, giving you the chance to shine! This month there is no cover charge and we'll share a potluck dinner as my way to thank everyone who has supported Studio C. Studio C will provide the turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. You are invited to bring your favorite Thanksgiving dish to add to the feast. Please call so we know you are coming then get out your pen and paper, paints and brushes, musical instruments and create something you can share on the themes of gratitude and gratefulness.

I encourage you to take some time this weekend to celebrate your own creativity in a way that brings you renewed energy. Make a commitment to honoring your life and your community by growing your imagination and your personal truth.

Come by Studio C and share your inspiration with the wonderful people who gather together to share and experience a collective reverence for the good that comes when people communicate with courage, respect each other and recognize the sacred in each other. Did you know we have a piano here, waiting for players to play? We do!

Studio C is so pleased to be able to offer our community a place to gather in the pursuit of artistic excellence. Remember, the C is for creativity, and Studio C is Where Creativity Grows!

See you soon~

Christina